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Suicide Club (Suicide Circle)
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List Price: $14.99
Our Price: $14.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: TLA Releasing
Starring: Ryo Ishibashi; Akaji Maro; Masatoshi Nagase; Saya Hagiwara; Hideo Sako; Takashi Nomura (II); Tamao Satô; Mai Hosho; Yoko Kamon; Rolly; Kimiko Yo; Yuhei Okabe; Asami Hidaka; Miyu Sawada; Himeno Maeda; Harina Hata; Hiromi Eguchi; Kikuko Sakurai; Tatsuo Moriyasu; Seiko Hashimoto
Directed By: Sion Sono
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Average Customer Rating:   
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Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
Brand: TLA RELEASING
EAN: 0807839000580
Format: Color
Label: TLA Releasing
Manufacturer: TLA Releasing
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: TLA Releasing
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2003-11-18
Running Time: 94
Studio: TLA Releasing
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
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Editorial Reviews:
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A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throw themselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train. Are the jumpers part of a cult? What is the connection to the website that chronicles suicides...before they happen? And, what is the connection to the Japanese all-girl pop group "Desert?" Suicide Club is a stylish, bizarre thriller that examines pop culture and disaffected youth.
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good and creepy
Comment: Suicide Club was a good ride. Some parts very random and creepy but very different than any American flick I can think of.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Superb
Comment: This movie in itself is not only one of the most original movies I have seen in a very long time but it is one of my favorite films period. Beautifully shot, great acting and a story line you may have to sit through a few viewings to get it all. Do yourself a favor and get this movie I suggest the unrated version to really get the full effect of this film. I'm not going to keep writing about this movie because i just don't want to give anything away .. just watch it
Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Japanese Films I have seen in a Long time!!!!
Comment: This film suprised me greatly being that it was one of the first Japanese films i have watched where the acting, the story and the entire presentation were up to par if not exceeding that of American film. I had seen a lot of other films from Japan and am pleased to say that if you love Japan, a good horror movie with plenty of both blood, guts, and a meaty story line that will have you thinking for years to come, this is a film for you!
One of the most iconic opening sequences i have ever seen in a film; 54 Japanese school girls jump in front of an oncomming train only to have blood, body parts, and just plain gross launched at Everything and Everyone in the station. After getting over the vast amount of shock one feels after seeing the opening scene, the story picks up and sucks you in, always making want more. The basic story synopsis is a slew of mysterious suisides rave Tokyo and the surrounding areas of Japan, and a lone group of detectives devote their lives and sanity to try and solve the case. Time and Time again, its seems the "club" is always one step ahead of the police, always leading to yet another horribly bloody and enjoyable (and even sometimes completly unexpected) suicide. While this film may not be for everyone, if you love everything Japan, J-horror, almost laughable and over the top blood effects, as well as one of the most contraversial plots to ever hit the big screen, you will most deffinately LOVE this picture. Please Enjoy. also, if you liked this one, i highly reccommend Noriko's Dinner Table, the second in Sion Sono's Suicide Club series.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A horror movie with meaning
Comment: *If your looking for a plot review, check out some of the other reviews*
Overall I though it was a pretty good movie, and one I plan on keeping. This movie takes one turn after another, that keeps you guessing until the end.
PROS: A refreshing idea, a thoughtful moral, constant twist that keep you guessing.
CONS: Some of the acting is bad, the dialogue is pretty basic, the blood scenes are either too much blood or complete fake looking.
WARNING: To all pet lovers, not to spoil the movie, but there is a short scene where a guy kills a dog & cat. You don't see the animals, but you can hear them. (I doubt the animals were really hurt, but it's enough to make you squirm)
Customer Rating:
Summary: Impressive but Gory Commentary on the Power of Pop Culture on the Public Psyche.
Comment: SUICIDE CLUB (aka. Suicide Circle, Jijatsu Saakuru) is a bleak and dark satire that effectively masquerades as a horror film. Directed by Sion Sono (Strange Circus), this film is a shocking commentary on the effect of pop culture on a country's young population (and in general). Sion Sono is at his top form here, it has been said that the director decided to make this film after the true-to-life suicide of a close friend. With its shocking and disturbing imagery, it somewhat threatens to obscure the effective message that concerns the media manipulation of the population's moral system. Having the similar themes of sadness, desperation and frustration similar to films like "Battle Royale" or others by Takashi Miike and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the film is one effective blend of gore, horror, dark comedy and a social commentary.
54 Japanese schoolgirls seemingly await to board a subway train. They hold hands and in unison, all 54 girls jump off the platform in front of an oncoming train with a smile on their faces. The resulting blood-splattering event may push even the most reasonable man to be driven insane (a horror fan will take notice). A bag is left on the scene, with a roll of patches of human skin, stitched together. Soon after, unexplained suicides are occurring all over Tokyo, more bags with stitched up human skin are found, and the authorities appear helpless to do a thing given the nature of the deaths, opening a murder case is a challenge by itself. Questions and more deaths arise, What is the purpose of the bag with stitched up skin? What does a supposedly innocent band and a website have to do with the suicides? The country is on the verge of social anarchy as the police turn to a cyber jockey called "The Bat" to shed some light on the mystery.
Those familiar with Japanese existential themes will no doubt be at home Sion Sono's impressive and disturbing "Lynchian-like" mind-bending satire. The director tackles the effect of popular culture head-on with a truly bleak vision as to how the media can affect how people dress, what to think and exactly what to watch on television. So why not have the media portray suicide as the "in" thing to do? So it is far-fetched, and quite an unlikely scenario; but one thing that cannot be denied is that "Suicide Club" certainly gets its point across. Sono seems to be saying that people has to learn to think for themselves, do what you believe is best and to not allow what TV and magazines decide what's "cool to do" and what's "hip" at the time. While the film has a very valid advice, it executes the message in a truly surrealistic manner, that it almost seems to unfold in a parallel reality where the bizarre and the macabre are not just a way to present the gory events but serves as a social commentary.
Numerous explanations for the suicides are suggested in the film; subliminal messages, a cross dressing Marilyn Manson wannabe, a curious website, they may all be the causes of the deaths but it never gives a clear explanation as to why. It borrows some elements we may have seen once before, but it still couldn't be denied that the film presents a very odd way of getting its message across. It is this lack of explanations that will definitely attract fans of Lynch-like films and the imagery will attract the fans of Takashi Miike's unorthodox style of execution. However, while this may be the film's greatest asset, it may also prove to be its greatest weakness. The lack of solid explanations will undoubtedly alienate and frustrate a lot of viewers looking for solid conclusions. No easy answers are presented, but keep in mind that the film also has a METAPHORICAL style, the effects of the media in America are quite powerful but not as intensely felt as in Japan.
With all this mayhem and disorder, a sympathetic and likeable detective named Kuroda is played by Ryo Ishibashi. Detective Kuroda is a very fortunate man with a beautiful wife and two wonderful children. However, the things that are unfolding may serve to destroy all he has in a very horrifying way. The film's cinematography definitely gives the proceedings a surrealistic and eerie approach that presents the gore in a partly distorted fashion. The overdose of blood and gore can be quite depressing to watch, after a few minutes, you may feel like you have to pause and watch something else. I experienced this same feeling when I watched Sion Sono's "Strange Circus" (the 2nd film I saw directed by Sono), I'm not exactly sure why I'm repulsed but at the same time drawn to this director's work.
While "Suicide Club" may not be a perfect film, horror fans will be drawn to its bleak and bloody premise. It is clever and insightful on what it is trying to tell the audience. The film is not for the squeamish, and a strong stomach is definitely required. The film is very graphic that makes it unsuitable for young teens which is such a shame, since the film does encourage young people to think for themselves, be independent rather than to just follow a crowd; youngsters are the most vulnerable to commercialism. But with the film's bloody and graphic sequences, it would be ill-advised for young teens to watch it.
"Suicide Club" is Sono's cry to move away from the brink of social collapse and a subtle commentary on the spiritual death of a society embodied by suicidal behavior. Quite ironic that youngsters are the ones to serve as martyrs as well as the adult's tormentors.
Recommended! Timidly, rent it first. [3 ½ Stars]
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